Awaken in Shadow
by Timaeus Lovelace
Summary: Prior to Birth by Sleep, the worlds are reemerging from the darkness. Yen-Sid, Xehanort, and Eraqus, along with two original characters, Veritas and Atercor, must save them from being swallowed again.


DISCLAIMER: Timaeus Lovelace does not own any Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or their characters. Lovelace does, however, own Veritas and Atercor. 

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><p>The citadel seemed to be eternal; no matter how many years passed, the ancient structure continued to stand, bearing precious few visible signs of age. Once upon a time, it had been within those very walls that a blind man taught three boys to discard the illusions believed by their eyes and to truly see with their hearts.<p>

_Your heart will be your most trusted companion on whatever road lies ahead,_ he had told his students. _So, I shall teach you to listen to it._ The words echoed in the mind of the robed traveler as he crossed the citadel's threshold, for he had once been one of that man's apprentices.

"Yen-Sid!"

The robed man smiled as his old comrade greeted him for the first time in three years. He remembered well the white-red haori, the khaki pants, armored boots and torso guard. What wasn't so familiar were the marks stretching across his dear friend's face—a jagged scratch reaching above and below the right eye, and a matching one adorning the left cheek. As curious as he was about how such marks had gotten there, and when for that matter, the wizard did not question. He would learn in due time; of that he was certain.

"Eraqus," he greeted with a respectful dip of his head. "You look well."

"And the same of you!" the younger man beamed, the familiar silver eyes twinkling with suppressed joy. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, my friend. Xehanort has summoned me away on an urgent mission, and I'm afraid I don't know how long I will be gone. Naturally, I do not want my students to fall behind in their training."

Students? Oh, he knew the ones.

"Ah, yes. You mentioned them before. Terra and Aqua, I believe."

Eraqus nodded once, smiling brightly as he always tended to do. "You would be right. Now, just a word of friendly caution: Bless their hearts, but they are still young. Terra has been on a bit of a trouble-streak as of late. Getting in to my file room, for example, not eating his vegetables at dinner, and the sort. Aqua is better about it all. She is a wonder to have, if not a bit on the shy side."

Yen-Sid listened carefully, on the inside a little more amused than he cared to admit to being. He dipped his head a second time, finally allowed hints of a smile to touch his aged face. "I will do my best, Eraqus. You've my word."

He didn't think it possible for his companion's smile to grow, and yet it did. "I know, my friend," Eraqus hummed with fondness. "And I expect no different."

On swift feet he stepped by Yen-Sid, holding a calloused right hand out to the side. There came a flash of golden block-like objects from his palm, which formulated into a gray weapon, one which Yen-Sid had laid eyes upon more times throughout his life than he cared to admit.

With his Master Keeper summoned, Eraqus glanced back towards his wizard friend, the smile still upon his face, but the look in his eyes firm; the eyes of a mentor.

"I left them in the throne room. They should be practicing with wooden replica-blades I helped them to make. If they aren't, please, do not hesitate to scold them. Especially Terra."

A smirk and chuckle was Yen-Sid's only answer. He did not turn, although he heard the distinct whoosh of Eraqus's blade being tossed up in to the air. A following high-pitched whine of machinery caught his ears, but he was more concerned with ascending the flight of stairs leading up to the grand building than watching his old friend leave for his mission.

Eraqus would be fine.

As per Eraqus' instructions, the children were indeed practicing with their faux Keyblades. Aqua, who appeared to be no more than eight years of age, practiced with an expression of determination, shutting out the world surrounding so as to concentrate on the lesson.

Eraqus had mentioned her shyness. It was possible that she simply did not want to interact with Terra right now, or perhaps she knew that a complete stranger would be looking after them in their master's absence.

Terra, on the other hand, possessed a more swashbuckling air about him, prancing forward and backward as he clumsily flipped his own wooden blade over his wrist, all the while spinning, jumping, ducking and slashing at an imaginary foe.

Clearly, he thought his skills superior to what they actually were. Even so, his technique was quite developed for someone who appeared to be only six or seven years old.

Terra was the first to notice the wizard's presence. His reaction was to stagger to a halt in his motions and tilt his head. Then he rushed closer, grinning up a storm. "Hi!"

With arms folded in the confines of his billowing sleeves, Yen-Sid graced the boy with a nod in greeting. "Hello. You must be Terra."

"Yup!" the boy beamed huge, pointing a thumb at his chest. "I'm gonna be the best Keyblade master ever!"

The wizard stifled a grin, but not from Terra's remark; rather, at Aqua's rolling eyes. She too had finally taken notice to his presence, and had crept over to see what was happening. Apparently, she was not very amused by Terra's boasting.

"And you must be Aqua," Yen-Sid hummed.

"Y-yes, s-s-sir," she replied, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor. The lack of confidence was frightfully obvious within her. Yen-Sid might have even furrowed his brow upon realizing just how much of it her heart was truly lacking.

_Mental note, then: Be gentle with this one._

"A pleasure to meet you both," said the wizard. "I am Yen-Sid, an old friend of your master's."

"Are you just gonna babysit us?" asked Terra with a whining voice. "Or are we actually gonna learn to fight?"

Quite the spark this boy had. Yen-Sid wondered how long it would take for that spark to develop in to an open flame, however.

"To fight with a Keyblade bears great strength and responsibility," he replied carefully. Yet it seemed to have no effect on Terra, who cocked his head again, starting to frown.

"So… are you gonna teach us anything?"

_This boy seems to invite combat, _the wizard reflected inwardly. _I've seen it before. Best be mindful of him while I can._

"No," he answered simply—and he turned his eyes away when the young brunette called out a whine of disbelief.

"Then you really are just a babysitter! Aw, man!"

_How irresponsible…_

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><p>"M-Master Y-Y-Yen-Sid?"<p>

With his fingers clutching the switch of the lamp to turn it off, the wizard gave pause to acknowledge the girl tucked in to her bed. After as busy a day it had been for her and Terra (learning to meditate was most certainly not an easy task, considering how energetic the boy was), Yen-Sid was genuinely surprised that she was even able to keep her eyes open. Still, he dipped his head to her.

"Yes, Aqua?"

For a time, the girl looked embarrassed. She stared down at her lavender-hued blankets, fidgeted with a loose string on her bedtime gown. The old wizard stood diligently, patiently waiting for her to speak, as she seemed so inclined to do.

Yet he surely was not expecting the question she finally managed to squeak out.

"W-will you… t-tell m-me a b-b-bedtime s-story?"

Although he stood blinking at her for some several moments, it was with a warm smile that he eventually caved in.

"Of course," he murmured, moving to sit at the foot of her bed. "Would you care for a particular subject?"

For a handful of heartbeats, she merely stared at him, considering him as if he'd sprouted two new heads. Finally, she frowned.

"I… d-don't know w-what that m-means."

Yen-Sid chuckled quietly and folded his hands in his lap.

"What kind of story would you like to hear?"

"Story?"

The new voice piped up from the doorway. Yen-Sid did not have to turn to know it was Terra there; what rather stunned (as well as amused, to a fair degree) him was when Aqua's eyes snapped over and she all but hissed at her fellow pupil:

"T-Terra! Get o-out o-of my r-r-room!"

The boy did not heed her. He padded further in to the little bedroom, clad in only his blue-gray airplane-themed footie pajamas. Tucked under his arm was a small, albeit worn out, yellow chocobo plush doll. Terra's fiercely blue eyes looked no more exhausted than Aqua's were.

"You're tellin' her a story, Master?" he asked in that same whining tone from earlier in the day. "But you said you would come to tell me a story! You haven't even come to tuck me in yet!"

Aqua fell silent, pouting while the boy climbed his way up on to her bed to sit next to Yen-Sid. The wizard in question eyed Terra, schooling his features in to a more firm expression.

"Terra," he started quietly. "You must learn that ladies always come first. And, I can tell many stories in one night. Or, if Aqua will allow it, I can tell the both of you a story right now," his eyes flickered to the blue-haired girl at the opposite side of the bed. "What do you say?"

Despite the fact that she was clearly unhappy by it, with crossed arms and a soft huff, Aqua nodded her head.

"O-okay… f-fine."

Terra began to bounce against the mattress. However, a swift hand to the top of his head stilled him, and Yen-Sid sighed with a reluctant smile at the child with so much budding energy.

"Very well. Now… what would you like to hear?"

"Oh, oh!" the brunette chimed, waving his chocobo doll up in the air. "Tell us _The Boy Who Cried Leviathan! _That's a good one!"

Only the old wizard noticed when Aqua wrinkled her nose in disagreement. He shook his head.

"My apologies. I don't believe I know that one too well."

"Aw…" Terra's disappointment only lasted for so long. In seconds, he was beaming again. "What about _The Adamantoise and the Cactuar _then? I like that one too!"

Again, Aqua made a face. Again, Yen-Sid's head shook.

"Why don't you pick one that Aqua would like to hear as well, Terra?"

The younger child's brow furrowed at that. He wondered and thought for quite some time before finally turning to face the girl.

"What do you wanna hear?"

As if she'd been holding the request in for eons, Aqua sat up a little straighter and flicked her eyes towards Yen-Sid's face.

"W-w-what was our M-master like? W-when h-he was sm-smaller?"

While Yen-Sid's mind instantly wandered to a number of… stand-out memories of his own regarding Eraqus, hearing Terra perk up and begin begging for that story quickly roped him back in to reality.

The brown-haired child added thoughtfully, "Did you guys train together? Or were you our Master's Master? I mean, you do seem old enough… Do you have a Keyblade too?"

Aqua's face took on a horrified light. Alas, Yen-Sid only sighed again. He could beat Eraqus for letting the boy get away with being so disrespectful, he could… But it was not of major concern at that moment.

Other images resurfaced to the forefront of his mind, things he thought he'd long-since forgotten. Eventually, humming a low note in his throat, the old wizard nodded—nothing but seriousness alight in his heart.

"…You are both sure you wish to hear that tale?"

The pair nodded, like it was the greatest decision they had ever made in their young lives.

"It is fairly long," Yen-Sid continued sternly. "You might fall asleep before I finish."

"We'll stay up!" Terra insisted, and Aqua nodded again, looking rather eager herself (though not as eager as her fellow pupil.)

They were so determined to get the story out of him. What else was he to do?

The sorcerer released a heavy breath. Perhaps this was his chance to finally be able to wrap his own mind around the world as he knew it.

"…Very well. Eraqus, I, and one other all grew and trained together under one Master, many years ago. His name was Veritas…"


End file.
